Ecommerce Wizards Podcast

Osayame (Osa) Gaius is a software engineer with extensive experience and is the Founder and CEO of Parrot, an end-to-end payment solution that uses SMS to drive a better checkout experience. Before Parrot, he served as the Vice President of BlackRock and was a senior software engineer for both MailChimp and Luma.

Having grown up in Nigeria, Osa went from having minimal computing exposure to being an ecommerce software development expert. He received his bachelor's in computer science from the University of West Georgia and worked as a research intern at Texas A&M University and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Do people tend not to open your emails? Would you like to implement a more effective way of deploying your ecommerce marketing strategy to engage with customers?

While emails have been the most common method of collecting information and creating accounts, it is not the only one. In fact, emails are only opened approximately 20-30% of the time compared to SMS, which hits about 90-95%. SMS messaging is a more direct and friendlier approach and has made it easier for ecommerce brands to interact with consumers to drive sales. So, what do you need to know to get started? Guillaume Le Tual invites Osa Gaius, the Founder and CEO of Parrot, back onto the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast to dive into SMS checkout and what the future holds for SMS mobile ecommerce. They talk about the unique advantages of the model, the differences between SMS and emails, and how to leverage the strategy for increased upselling and cross-selling. They also touch on the common mistakes most ecommerce brands make along the way and how to avoid them.

Osayame (Osa) Gaius is a software engineer with extensive experience and is the Founder and CEO of Parrot, an end-to-end payment solution that uses SMS to drive a better checkout experience. Before Parrot, he served as the Vice President of BlackRock and was a senior software engineer for both MailChimp and Luma.

Having grown up in Nigeria, Osa went from having minimal computing exposure to being an ecommerce software development expert. He received his bachelor's in computer science from the University of West Georgia and worked as a research intern at Texas A&M University and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Successfully launching a startup is a daunting task for anyone. Even seasoned entrepreneurs encounter new problems and obstacles when starting a new business. The process is as exciting as it is difficult, so advice is essential to getting it right from the beginning.

Osa Gaius quit his job and started a company, but he needed investors to make it work and take it to the next level. His friends and family initially helped, but he needed to acquire venture capital to explode the business. At the onset, he had to deal with the challenges of the pandemic while pitching his product to investors. Osa found success with his company, Parrot, having run a successful fundraising campaign of over $2 million. Now he shares his knowledge and his experience with you. In this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast, Guillaume Le Tual interviews Osa Gaius, the Founder and CEO of Parrot, on launching a successful startup. They break down Osa's introduction to entrepreneurship, building an MVP, and acquiring free users to fuel growth. They also touch on the best ways to acquire and utilize venture capital after fundraising.

Anna Taylor is the Director of Digital and Marketing Projects at Supply America, Inc., a food service business dedicated to distribution solutions for chain businesses, multi-unit operators, and national companies. She has nearly two decades of experience executing cross-functional projects and UX and UI systems. Anna worked in marketing and ecommerce at TriMark USA and SG Commerce LLC before joining Supply America.

Have you considered upgrading your ecommerce platform to improve the customer experience and diversify your audience? Ecommerce platforms can be a powerful tool for reaching your business goals and increasing profitability. So, how do you know what platform is best for you?

With nearly two decades in the ecommerce and marketing arena, Anna Taylor knows the ins and outs of selecting an ecommerce platform, why choosing the right one is key, and why Adobe Commerce and its capabilities may be the right choice for your business. One of the essential considerations is adaptability as your company scales. You don't want to go two or three years and suddenly, your platform is antiquated and needs a complete overhaul. Anna recommends assessing your company goals to determine the functionality and customization you'll need to support your growth to decide whether Adobe Commerce could be a perfect fit for your ecommerce business.

In this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast, Guillaume Le Tual sits down with Anna Taylor, Director of Digital and Marketing Projects at Supply America, to discuss choosing the right commerce platform. Anna explains the importance of future-proofing, assessing your company's growth playbook, what integrations you want, and why Adobe Commerce may be the right ecommerce platform for your business.

Josh Ward is the VP of Sales at Nexcess, a business that provides managed hosting services for WordPress, Magento, and other ecommerce platforms. In his role, he helps the sales team, processes, and marketing initiatives at Nexcess and assists with recruiting. He spent the first decade of his career switching from IT manager to system administration before transitioning to marketing.

In addition to his career, Josh is also the President of Gateway All Sports Booster Club, where he supports students by raising funds for facilities, equipment, and uniforms.

On the last episode with Josh Ward, he broke down the key differences between PWA and standard Magento builds. Now he goes into depth on optimizing hosting performance. Even with the perfect web application, many optimizations still need to be made to your hosting capabilities. Many ecommerce brands are missing out on their full potential by failing to ask the right questions and look in the right places. Now you will find out exactly what you need to know. In this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast, Guillaume Le Tual invites Josh Ward, the VP of Sales at Nexcess, back onto the show to talk about improving your hosting performance on Adobe Commerce. They go through topics such as CDNs, knowing when and how to split your database, strategically planning for traffic spikes, and much more.

Josh Ward is the VP of Sales at Nexcess, a business that provides managed hosting services for WordPress, Magento, and other ecommerce platforms. In his role, he helps the sales team, processes, and marketing initiatives at Nexcess and assists with recruiting. He spent the first decade of his career switching from IT manager to system administration before transitioning to marketing.

In addition to his career, Josh is also the President of Gateway All Sports Booster Club, where he supports students by raising funds for facilities, equipment, and uniforms.

The technology behind ecommerce hosting can be complicated at first. There is no magic bullet for your brand — each need or feature might require completely different solutions. However, this does not mean you cannot be informed about what might be best. PWA builds can be a powerful alternative to more traditional builds, but now you can know which is right for your brand.

Guillaume Le Tual invites Josh Ward, the VP of Sales at Nexcess, to detail the key differences between hosting a PWA versus a standard build for Magento. They discuss the strengths of both models, how they deal with indexing issues, and why some brands have gone to cloud hosting rather than physical servers. Stay tuned to hear all this and more on this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast!

John Jonas is the Founder and CEO of OnlineJobs.ph, a job board that provides hundreds of thousands of jobs to virtual workers in the Philippines. He hosts The Secret Sauce of Outsourcing, a podcast where he discusses tips, tricks, advice, and stories on how to utilize outsourcing properly. Before OnlineJobs.ph, John worked as the Chief Technology Advisor for ClientSkills and a PHP Programmer for QComm.

There is often a stigma associated with outsourcing labor. There may be connotations of exploitation, inefficient staffing, and communication difficulties related to the industry. However, some agencies find incredible benefits for employers and employees alike. One leading company in this field is OnlineJobs.ph.

John Jonas started OnlineJobs.ph after encountering his own issues with staffing and outsourcing. He and his team have since honed the process, supplying ethical and effective solutions for brands. Throughout the process, John has developed core principles to help others experiencing the same problems.

In this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast, Guillaume Le Tual has an insightful discussion with John Jonas, the Founder and CEO of OnlineJobs.ph, about getting the most out of outsourcing solutions. They start with John's initial experiences with the field and how he created a better way for ecommerce brands. He goes on to cover topics like cultural barriers, time zones, emails versus interviews, filtering for the right people, and so much more.

Jacob Springer is the Senior Account Executive for Canadian Expansion at Sezzle, a certified B Corp that offers financial education and payment options without interest. He is a sales expert with extensive experience in driving growth in industries such as eCommerce, retail, and financial technology.

With a focus on customer experience, trend forecasting, and B2B solution selling, Jacob aids in strategic direction, increasing market share, and catering to changing consumer trends.

Are you struggling to convert traffic into leads? Do you notice prospective customers browsing your website and then leaving without making a purchase?

The most important step for any ecommerce brand is to convert their leads. Even generating incredible traffic is not enough if customers never check out. One effective solution is the buy now/pay later model. This offers customers the ability to buy more expensive items without relying on their own credit or immediate funds. Ecommerce businesses have seen increases in their conversions without getting locked into difficult contracts. So how does it work in practice?

In this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast, Guillaume Le Tual speaks with Jacob Springer, the Senior Account Executive of Canadian Expansion at Sezzle, to discuss the company's approach to the buy now/pay later model. They dive into the tangible benefits of the model, how it's taking off in North America, and why Sezzle doesn't utilize vendor contracts. They also touch on why Sezzle works well for particular customers and brands. Stay tuned for more!

As an experienced entrepreneur, GQ Fu has founded and co-founded five companies. He is the CEO of LTVplus, a business that offers customer service outsourcing for ecommerce brands to increase their lifetime customer value. Most recently, GQ started Recover Payments and UberQA to solve other problems for digital brands. In addition to his startups, he hosts the How We Solve Podcast.

Involuntary churn is a subtle but damaging trend for any subscription-based service. Ecommerce brands can often lose shocking sums of revenue based solely on negligence. While the issue can be devastating to a company's bottom line, the solutions are often simple and easy to implement. All it takes is knowing the right steps to keep more current subscribers.

Guillaume Le Tual invites GQ Fu back on the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast to break down involuntary churn and how to minimize it. They discuss the source of the problem, the best strategies to combat churn, and how to solve the growing issue of abandoned carts. They also touch on how to anticipate subscriber needs to create a better user experience.

As an experienced entrepreneur, GQ Fu has founded and co-founded five companies. He is the CEO of LTVplus, a business that offers customer service outsourcing for ecommerce brands to increase their lifetime customer value. Most recently, GQ started Recover Payments and UberQA to solve other problems for digital brands. In addition to his startups, he hosts the How We Solve Podcast.

Most online shoppers have had negative digital customer service experiences at some point. Companies need to take these instances more seriously because a bad experience can lead to a poor word-of-mouth reputation and lower customer retention rates. Just as inadequate customer service can result in adverse consequences, outstanding customer service can often bolster the success of a business. As an experienced entrepreneur, GQ Fu had his own subpar experiences in digital customer service, so he started LTVplus to solve this issue by outsourcing world-class customer service specifically for ecommerce brands. The results have been significant for his clients. Now he's here to explain the benefits and value of implementing this service into your ecommerce platform. Guillaume Le Tual interviews GQ Fu, the Co-founder and CEO of LTVplus, to talk about how live chat customer service positively impacts the success of ecommerce brands. They go through the common pain points and benefits of the service. They also touch on chatbots, customer lifetime value, and the overlooked benefits of down-selling customers.

Joseph Maxwell is the Founder and CEO of SwiftOtter, Inc., an agency that specializes in Magento to help ecommerce brands establish a presence in the marketplace. He cut his teeth in development and design during his five-year role at Communication Concepts, Inc. Joseph hosts two podcasts for ecommerce developers and industry experts: Smash the Bug and Actionable Insights. In 2019, he was recognized as a Magento Master, the highest award in the Magento community.

Completing and supporting any project as an ecommerce platform is a monumental task. It requires an incredible amount of experience, expertise, and time to provide an excellent platform for businesses. Beyond the work itself, however, is the relationship with clients. Both sides of the process are integral to the success of any agency. So what does it take to propel your agency to the next level?

Joseph Maxwell started his agency in 2011 that specializes in Magento. He and his team have grown by leaps and bounds, including an award for Magento Master within the community. They have worked on countless projects and can now teach others how to navigate their client relationships.

Guillaume Le Tual speaks with Joseph Maxwell, the Founder and CEO of SwiftOtter, on this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast to discuss how to improve your agency. They talk about clients' expectations and requests and how to deliver a fantastic platform. They then touch on providing support, mutual trust, saving disaster projects, and much more.